Abadia Continues Global Expansion With Debut Pre-Fall Collection

Emily Mercer

24 January 2025 at 4:00 pm·5-min read

Abadia founder, chief executive officer and creative director Shahd AlShehail continues to be one of the fastest-rising fashion stars in Saudi Arabia.

Over the past year her ethical luxury label became the first Saudi brand to launch at Net-a-porter and expand into eight global cities across the Middle East, Europe and the U.S. And the brand has this month continued to forge that path with the debut of its first pre-fall collection in Paris.

More from WWD

“From the beginning, our vision has been global,” AlShehail said, calling the the achievement, “a love letter from Saudi Arabia to the rest of the world” and a milestone that “reflects our commitment to showcasing the Kingdom’s rich heritage and transformative spirit on an international stage.”

“When we started the brand a little over five years ago, the goal from the beginning was to build a global luxury brand from our parts of the world; to create storytelling, and celebrate the craftsmanship of our region,” AlShehail told WWD, noting the focus was on direct-to-consumer business while developing the brand and understanding its customer with two main collections a year and additional seasonal drops.

A little over a year ago, Abadia opened up to wholesale and became the first Saudi brand to launch on Net-a-porter with its debut resort collection. Since then it has expanded to 10 key global retailers including LuisaViaRoma, Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdale’s and is available in Riyadh, Dubai, Florence, Kuwait City, New York, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Austin, Tex. In addition, the Abadia team has grown from three employees to 12.

“In the beginning, outerwear was one of our leading categories regionally. While we don’t do a traditional abaya, we’ve seen a lot of women use our coats as alternatives to that. Now our leading category is dresses, and with international expansion, tops have really taken over as well,” she said.

Abadia has also launched exclusive styles and colorways with select retail partners, including Net-a-porter — pieces that “tend to sell out first,” AlShehail said.

AlShehail said designing for a wider customer base has been “an interesting piece of the puzzle to unlock.”

“We obviously understand our regional customers so well, and it was really exciting to see that our aesthetic was translating to a global woman, too, that had a similar interest. It was such a fine balance to be able to crack that code between representing the regional woman, making her feel seen and proud and represented through the clothes that we create, but at the same time, still be relevant for a global woman. Through that transition, we expanded our product categories, but I don’t think we have shifted. The woman’s still the same, and the brand aesthetic and storytelling is still the same,” she said.

Throughout each collection, AlShehail continues to strike a balance between heritage and modernity with easy wearability, as seen through the brand’s signature belted and drop-waist dresses and traditional Saudi Arabia embroideries.

Since its inception, highlighting Saudi craftsmanship through partnerships with artisan communities and upholding ethical practices across the business have been core pillars of Abadia.

“When I say ethical, I think it encompasses a lot and I really believe that it’s in every aspect of the business. I always say to everyone that asks me about this that we don’t claim to be perfect, but we are transparent, and we try our best in every way possible, from our sourcing of our material to our shipping to even the way we think about pattern making and wastage, and how we use that wastage,” she said. Abadia has its own in-house atelier and pattern room, and works in close proximity to where its pieces are created.

Speaking about craftsmanship, AlShehail said Abadia works mainly with women from Saudi Arabia, but has also expanded to artisans in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Egypt.

“We work on crafts and techniques that are often dying, forgotten or seen as more of a heritage purchase — this once-in-a-life kind of thing — to really try to create a sustainable income for these women through incorporating their work and even elevating the craftsmanship to be seen as valuable and coveted,” she said.

“I’m so proud to see that shift happen even in our regional customers from over five years ago to now, whereas the appreciation for even our own craft was not there. Now, the regional woman appreciates her own crafts. The big responsibility on us is then to communicate it onward to the rest of the world.”

Now the brand is further expanding to four collections a year with the debut of its first pre-fall lineup in Paris.

“We speak a lot at Abadia about the multidimensional woman. In the beginning of the creation process, we were referencing a lot to the sea. I come from a part of Saudi that’s close to the water, and bodies of water have always played a huge role in my calmness,” AlShehail said of pre-fall’s inspiration.

The collection was designed to reflect the idea of how women have the ability to transform throughout their lives, and comparing that to the ebb and flow of the sea. It also touches on pearl diving — “referencing that as a cultural heritage, and stories from my grandfather going on pearl diving journeys,” she added.

Throughout pre-fall, AlShehail played with organza and liquid-y fabrications with layering and draping techniques to emulate the movement of the sea. Ease, comfort and a laid-back element were key, as seen through the brand’s gathered dresses and tops; lightweight trousers and overskirts and fluid, elevated layers that continue to uphold the brand’s roots in heritage, craftsmanship and designs for the multifaceted, modern global woman.

Best of WWD

I got my hands on Next's £18 mystery beauty boxes and can't believe what's inside